Paramount+ with Showtime has handed out a straight-to-series order for the political thriller series “The Department” and has attached George Clooney to direct the project.
The show is a remake of the 2015 French series “Le Bureau des Legendes” which centers on the daily life and missions of agents within France’s principal external security service.
Specifically, it focuses on the ‘Bureau of Legends,’ a group responsible for training and handling deep-cover agents on long-term missions – agents living under false identities for years who try to identify and recruit good intelligence sources.
The series is being lined up as the premium cabler’s next “Homeland,” both in terms of its subgenre and being a remake of a foreign thriller series. Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime and Paramount Media says in a statement:
“Just as ‘Homeland’ elevated global espionage to new heights, ‘The Department’ will take viewers even deeper into a world of intrigue and subterfuge with complicated characters who struggle with their own demons as they fight existential threats to the nation and the world.”
Clooney and Grant Heslov will serve as executive producers via their Smokehouse Pictures label. Keith Cox, Nina L. Diaz, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin and Bob Yari also executive produce. Filming is slated to start later this year ahead of an airing sometime in 2024 with Paramount+ to carry the show on its service.
Source: Variety
